1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the art of reclining chairs and, more particularly, is directed to manually-operated wall-proximity chairs.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Handle-operated reclining chairs are well known in this art. Typically, a handle is mounted within hand-reach of a seated user, and is turned to effect reclining movement of the seat and the backrest from the upright position to the fully-reclined position, and/or to effect extension of the footrest. The prior art recliner handles are also used to return the seat and the backrest from the fully-reclined position back to the upright position, and/or to retract the footrest.
Although generally satisfactory for its intended purpose, the handle for the prior art reclining chair requires a relatively large amount of muscular effort on the occupant's part to both forwardly and rearwardly move the seat, the backrest and the footrest. The prior art handle is kinematically connected to the recliner and the footrest linkage mechanisms of the known reclining chairs such that each position of the handle has a one-to-one correspondence with a distinct position of the chair.
In order to operate the prior art chairs, a relatively long handle is required to reduce the amount of muscular effort otherwise required. However, long massive handles are aesthetically displeasing and also pose a safety hazard.
It has heretofore been proposed in application U.S. Ser. No. 082,810, filed Oct. 9, 1980, for Manually-Operated Reclining Chairs, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,291,913, assigned to the same assignee as the instant application, to provide a trigger handle assembly for a two-position incliner chair, wherein the trigger handle assembly was operative to move the incliner from an upright position to an intermediate chair position, wherein the body weight of a seated user took over to drive the chair further forwardly to the fully-reclined position. This trigger handle assembly disengaged from the chair linkage once the chair reached the aforementioned intermediate position, and hence, was no longer active in driving the chair past the intermediate position.
Wall-proximity reclining chairs are characterized by the large forward distance through which the seat and the backrest must be moved so that the back of the chair will not strike the wall behind the chair for any of the advanced reclining positions of the chair. The trigger handle assemblies used for incliners are not satisfactory for wall-proximity chairs, because these handle assemblies cannot move the chair through the aforementioned requisite large forward distance.